Apps for cash back rebates on groceries (Ibotta and more)

There are apps that will give you cash back for groceries (like a coupon that comes off after the purchase) and apps that will give you points. Some of these offer direct deposit to your bank account. Others let you choose from gift cards. They all offer Amazon gift cards. Some of these apps only have a few gift card options while others have a lot. These take a little time to plan out your groceries, but are worth looking at if you need to save as much money as possible on your groceries. I know it's not fun to have to go through these, but shopping the sales and using the coupons and checking for rebates can add up the savings. You can combine some of these apps such as Ibotta rebates with Fetch points.

Dollar-based

• Ibotta       

Use referral code yzqbir to get $5 the first time you use Ibotta.
Ibotta is *the* cash back app for groceries. They have so many offers from so many different stores. The way it works is you choose your store, select the rebates you want, and then scan your receipt after you’ve shopped. Read the terms carefully. Some you can combine with coupons and some you can’t. This is one of the best apps out there to save on groceries. It’s definitely worth trying, and it’s free to use.
 

• Inbox Dollars

Referral link: https://appview.inboxdollars.com?rb=169482175 for a $5 signup bonus
Inbox Dollars is a little different than Ibotta. They have surveys, offers, cash back shopping, and a lot going on with their app. If you go to the receipts tab from the bottom of the app, this is where you can get a little bit of money back for the groceries that you buy. They don’t have a ton of rebates like Ibotta does, but things like bread and eggs always seem to be on the list. You might as well get those 50 cents back. Every dollar counts.
 

• Checkout 51

This app has been around a while, but there’s not much there. On the bright side, that makes it quick to scroll through. Rebates are only available at select stores. They do allow you to redeem multiple times. You have to get $20 in rebates before you can cash out. They are now offering cashback on gasoline as well. It usually says you can’t use this in combination with other coupons/discounts or other apps.  
 

• Shopmium

You may have heard of Shopmium. They merged with Checkout 51 in late 2024.
 

• Makeena

Makeena is for organic and healthy food.
 

• Tada

I didn’t try this app because it has a lot of bad reviews with the app being glitchy. It may be worth looking into down the road.

Point-based

•  Fetch

Use referral code EPWF14 to get 1,000 points when you sign up.
This is a great app! You can scan your receipts here to get points. You’ll get more points for getting certain groceries. Scroll through the list on the home page. There are some pretty good offers here. You can also shop through the app to earn points for every dollar you spend. You can even get points by using GoodRx. I’ve found it’s quick to get points with this app. In less than a month of using it, I had already earned a gift card to Amazon. You can redeem your points with numerous gift cards to choose from.
 

• Swagbucks

Referral link: https://sbmobile.page.link/Stz3
You may know Swagbucks as an app for surveys and games, but they also have what they call “magic receipts”. It’s similar to Ibotta. You select the store, add the items you’re interested in to the list, and then scan your receipt. The catch is this can’t be combined with coupons and can’t be used with multiple cash back programs.
 

• Shopkick

Use referral code DEAL620670 to get 1,000 kicks.
This one is a little different. They call points “kicks” and they give kicks for walking into stores, scanning barcodes, and scanning your receipts if you bought certain items. I’m definitely not going to be scanning barcodes in store. There aren’t a lot of items to get points on. If you want to get easy points, you can open the app every time you walk in a store. They also do points for online shopping and watching videos.

Also

• Box Tops

Use referral code HHR73EAF to get 20 bonus points when you scan your first receipt.
Remember when we were kids and we would cut the box tops off the cereal boxes? Box Tops is an app now and you can scan your receipts to give money towards the school of your choice at no cost to you. Even if you don’t have kids in the school system, you can help kids in your community get the school supplies and resources they need just by scanning your receipt. The money goes to the kids in need.

Concluding thoughts

I will admit it’s a bit of a hassle to take the time to scroll through rebate apps after already looking through sale ads and coupons. It’s not my favorite thing to do. With these grocery prices though, I think it’s worth at least downloading and looking at. A lot of times it is cheaper to buy store brand and buy in bulk. Of course, it’s often cheaper to cook from scratch and there’s many coupons/rebates for things we don’t need. If you have a brand-name you do like though, it’s worth using these. You can also use the search bar for what is already on your grocery list.
 
Of all the apps I’ve tried to get money back from groceries, Ibotta and Fetch are my favorite. I appreciate Box Tops as well. I like being able to contribute school supplies and such for kids in my community when I can’t afford to actually buy anything. If you don’t try any other apps to get back grocery money, try Ibotta and Fetch.
 
There are over 100 ways to save money on groceries in my book, Happily Frugal. The workbook contains over 1,000 ways to save money. If your household is struggling in this 2024 inflation, you need this book!
 
Learn more here.

Happily Frugal